I made an audiofic of Forever Royal: Final Battle Retold at the behest of a friend who said it would be cool so if anyone wanted a read aloud of a Sofia the First oneshot it’s there
Oldish art :D
Based on a very strange interaction with my sister (I like to do a very slow owl-like head turn to maximize the joke frrr) no I did not pour boiling water into my mouth, but it was smth batshit crazy like that I bet.
Thinking about the fact that there are at least two occasions where Wukong's plan involves going to someone's house, disguising himself as their spouse, saying "hey baby let's do spouse things" and then is utterly SHOCKED and TAKEN ABACK when the other person perceives it as their sexual partner sexily initiating sex
Like
Pigsy: Honey, I'm home!
Pigsy: ...
Pigsy: Honey? Aren't you going to come and give me kiss?
Wukong, disguised as Gao Cuilan, lying in their shared bed: Why don't you come over here and give me one yourself?
Pigsy: ... What are you...?
Wukong: Just get in bed, idiot.
Wukong: Wait why are you taking off your shirt
And also
Wukong disguised as the Bull Demon King, leaning against Princess Iron Fan's doorframe: Oh hey my dear darling smokeshow of a wife I just flew all this way *especially* to see you
PIF: O///////O
Wukong: Yeah I heard you fell victim to the schemes of that villainous Sun Wukong and came to make sure you were alright
PIF: JFSJTSGSGJXKDGEEHDYF
Wukong: So, uh—
PIF: JUST PIN ME UP AGAINST A WALL ALREADY I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
So I'm not part of the Naruto fandom at all, never seen more than clips and the narusasu propaganda, and YET the show has somehow INFECTED MY BRAIN
Thus if I wanna focus on my ongoing fics I need to get this out of my brain so someone else can adopt the concept
[Yunae Uzumaki AU]
the pitch is this: The night of Minato and his Kushina's death, their child's birth, and the sealing of the Kyubi there were three people who saw the baby. Minato, Kushina, and Danzo. Hiruzen made the promise that he would care for the child and soon enough broke his promise by handing the care over to Danzo as well as control over the assets of the Uzumaki family because Hiruzen was too busy with his work as Hokage.
Now if Hiruzen thought of that night a bit harder then he would have remembered that Minato said to take care of his 'precious daughter' and that Kushina named the little girl something meaningful. But he didn't and would forget the name whispered by a dying mother mourning the loss of her child's normal life.
Danzo would not forget the name of the baby on accident like Hiruzen, but he would erase any trace of it he could find, he would write on the birth certificate that there was no baby girl that night. There was only a little boy named Naruto by his father with the characters for whirlpool. As the child grew Danzo would have his root ninja raise the 'boy' as a tool, a fox to be trained for obedience, in a small apartment where it would be easy to keep an eye on 'him'.
When the time came for the child to be trained in chakra control and jutsus they started with the disguise jutsu. they drilled and drilled until the strawberry blond hair gave way to Minato's golden shade and the face so reminiscent of Kushina would change to be Minto's. Every speck of the 'boy's' mother in him was changed and maintained to be a carbon copy of 'his' father. They would train the boy to act the way they thought a rambunctious young boy should act. They would maintain 'his' obedience with the threat of burning or destroying 'his' inheritance. the last traces of 'his' parents a noose around 'his' neck ready to hang 'him' if the 'boy' stepped out of line.
But there would always be resistance in Yunae, named for purifying rains by her mother, because she was always a Jinchuriki. Though she didn't understand the significance at first. She knew there was a nine tailed fox that lived with her in her dreams, who told her stories of who she was, stories of her mother and the romance between her parents. He was Kurama and he was angry, engulfed in an aura of murderous intent most of the time, but he was kind to her. He spoke of how he saw their cages as similar to one another.
Unable to act as they wanted because people decided they weren't good enough as they were.
Kurama tried to get Yunae to follow him into rage. But the little girl looked at the world which was unfair because mean people made it that way and decided that it should be made fair because kind people helped others. For the eyes of a child saw the world far too simply and yet far clearer than those older than them.
She dragged Kurama into fairness, if not kindness, kicking and growling.
When she learned of the Uchiha massacre the girl was sad. For the people lost and for the older boy she learned about when she was meditating under the watchful eyes of the Root. they spoke of Itachi Uchiha and how easy he was to manipulate, about what a shame it was that he had abandoned their cause instead of killing himself like a good tool. Yunae wept silently that night back in the apartment for those who were lost and the boy they left behind.
She watched from afar as Sasuke Uchiha, the only survivor of his brother's massacre, was praised for his survival. Was given a home of his own. Got fawned over by everyone he met.
Even though his family was trying to start a coup. Even when she had just as much, if not less, say in her role of jinchuriki and they saw her as a demon. When Naruto was shunned and hated and disallowed from being Yunae simply because she didn't exist correctly.
It hurt.
Being on a team with him and Sakura only kind of muted the hurt but what really healed that particular wound into a small scar was when they got attacked by Orochimaru. He had managed to put some kind of seal on Sasuke and hurt Sakura's arm but for one reason or another he paid special attention to hurting Naruto. His blade carved into his flesh and drew so much blood he could feel the disguise fading slowly.
Naruto begged and pleaded with his teammates to spirit him away to a place no one would be able to see them. Cried and refused to slump down into the futon until they vowed to keep the door closed and the seals he'd drawn in her own blood powered. Demanded that nothing from within the room would make it outside.
when she collapsed finally the disguise faded into mist completely and there upon the bed for her team to see was Yunae. Her long hair splayed beneath her back, her face a different shape, her body still battered and bleeding onto the cream colored blankets. An orange light erupted from her stomach and a small fox with nine tailes appeared at her side. It ordered Sakura and Sasuke, demanding and self important, to put pressure on the bleeding place and to help her chakra flow so he could heal her.
It was Kurama who explained to them that Naruto was never a person, that Naruto was a cage, that there was a person keeping his jinchuriki under their thumb. He told the two children that the only way to save the girl who had been hidden was to kill the one responsible. Before he could tell them who they needed dead someone banged their fist on the door. Kurama vanished back into the seal. Sasuke disguised Yunae into Naruto again. There was a new tension in team seven after that.
Naruto acted like he always had even when he left to train with Jiraya and saw the man fall into the trap of seeing him as Minato. Sasuke still desired revenge on his brother but now there was a chip of curiosity in the lens of hate that blinded him that kept him from falling under Orochimaru's control. Sakura still left to train with Tsunade but now she took advantage of the woman's spy network to try and learn what had happened the night of 'Naruto's' birth.
When they met again on the battle field Naruto tackled Sasuke and fought him until they were alone. Until the root ninja were too busy with fights of their own to notice the seals redirecting their attention getting slapped onto the trees around a small clearing.
"Don't you see what he's doing to you Sasuke!" Naruto was slammed into the dirt with Sasuke above him. "Can't you see he's caging you!"
"And what would You know! How can I trust you when I don't Know who you are! Naruto-"
"Don't call me that!" There was a puff of smoke and Sasuke was suddenly the one pinned to the ground with the girl from the chunk exams over him. Her hair half pinned back by a wooden hair stick and her eyes somehow even brighter blue than Sasuke thought possible. "My name isn't Naruto! I am Uzumaki Yunae! Named by my mother for the purifying rains!" Drops of water hit Sasuke's cheeks and he vaguely understood that Na- Yunae was crying. "I- You have no Idea what it's like. To be despised, controlled, forced into a role you never wanted because some old man decided you weren't good enough to be yourself."
"You were allowed to trust the world and because of that you got so blinded you didn't Think to look deeper. You want to kill Itachi for the massacre but he's not the one you should hate. It was Danzo who drove Itachi mad. It was Danzo who pushed him. So please-" her voice cracked and she pulled Sasuke into a hug "-please come home. Come back to the village and help me kill him so we can both be free."
That was how Sasuke learned who it was caging his teammate. It was how he became the person to pull Sakura into the know. He became Yunae's right hand man despite his left handedness.
It was that fight that changed much of the future after that.
---
aka thats as far as my Naruto knowledge goes and I genuinely don't know how that would change but I do have a wishlist of things I want to happen but don't have to happen if someone adopts this
people mistake Narusasu as canon(if it becomes canon eventually is up to whoever adopts this concept but the point is when people assume its wrong)
Danzo dies sooner than canon assuming he dies in canon(again idk anything really about this)
Itachi redemption arc where he still gets put in jail cause, well, bro committed a massacre dude idk what to tell you
the root are freed from their seals(this is a concept I heard of from somewhere and idk if its canon but it sounds interesting as heck)
Hinata, babes, sorry but you're either bi or not getting Naruto/Yunae(why did she even like him in the first place?)
Gara gets a crush on Naruto/Yunae, either gay or straight after Danzo is dead and Yunae can be herself idc, just make that man crush for a bit even if it isn't the main ship
I think I heard somewhere that Sakura hate was perpetuated by the anime, screw that(unless its funny or makes the story better), Manga characterization please and thank you(or au)
Pervy sage gets his ass kicked by Yunae for his pervyness
Apperance wise I just want Yunae to share more with her mom and some sharp teeth + slit pupils for the fox influence cause canon Naruto is just a carbon copy of minato with whiskers
Someone puts love into this concept and also come canon knowledge because god damn am I an unfit candidate
Pleased to report that after a day of this i am not longer craving caper brine and my mouth is not dry as usual. There's some good suggestions in the notes too that I want to try.
-ancient roman posca: water, red or white wine vinegar, honey, salt, herbs (coriander, mint, thyme)
-switchel: water, ginger, vinegar, sweetener, lemon, salt
Finally a hand sewing tutorial on a hemline that isn't just the ladder stitch! the ladder stitch disappears when you tighten it, but it's not meant for hemlines because it breaks really easily! The overlock stitch is more stable, so it holds much longer, and it won't pucker or warp the fabric!
people will say “they’re only friends” and then show me two people who would crawl through broken glass to hear the other laugh once. two people who have memorized each other’s coffee orders, fears, childhood stories, and emergency contacts. two people who would haunt each other’s houses as ghosts. be serious.
Just an FYI—the original intention of this post was to challenge the way people say only friends, as though friendship is somehow lesser than other forms of love. As if being deeply known, cherished, and chosen by another person could ever be a small thing. Normalize profound platonic love. Some of the most fulfilling, transformative, and enduring relationships we will ever have are friendships. 🫶🏼
Been a while since I crossposted a fic but here we are ig
A Ball to Remember
Pre sonadow bonding and the beginning of them opening up to one another
“I need you to join me at a royal ball.”
…Sonic was sitting on Shadows' desk. In Shadows’ room. Which had the door locked and closed.
From where he sat on his bed the black and red hedgehog felt vulnerable. “How did you get in here?”
“Not important, will you be my guest at the ball I need to attend in a week?”
It was very important to Shadow to know how the faker had gotten into the safe house he shared with Omega and Rouge but when he looked into the man's green eyes he didn’t think he’d get any answer. “Why should I go, couldn’t you take Amy with you?”
“Gods and Spirits no.” Sonic shifted to cross one leg over the other, leaning back on his hands enough to stare at a spot on the ceiling. “She’ll be there, you can count on it, but she’s not supposed to be.”
“Tails?”
“Too young and even less interested in these events than I am.”
“Knuckles?”
“Has his own invite.”
“Rouge?”
“Not risking her stealing from the noble ladies and causing a scene.”
Shadow tried to think of someone, anyone, else who might be a viable replacement and found his mind blank. It almost seemed like Sonic had put real thought into his decision for once. Except- “What’s stopping you from just not going?”
The blue hedgehog looked as though he was deflating. His ears flattened to his skull in the way Rouge had explained meant the mobian was embarrassed. “My mom’s making me go and my siblings won’t cover me again.” Sonic had siblings? “It’s not like this is the first time I’ve skipped a ball or gala but this is a big one and the nobility are starting to spread rumors about me being a disgraced prince or dead or something that are hurting Manic’s chances with this really nice lady from the Margrave family of Luxan.”
“...You’re a prince?”
“Yep,” he popped the p, “I’m not really involved unless something happens or unless my family insists but I am still the first prince and previous heir apparent.” He stood up from his seat and walked to lean against the nightstand. “Look at me properly.”
Numbly Shadow obliged, still processing the new information, when Sonic bit into his bare thumb. Blood started to pool on the skin as the man spoke words in a language that sounded like music, soft and lilting, a lullaby that slipped into the dark furred hedgehog's mind. He tilted Shadow’s chin upwards with the still gloved hand and drew an x over his lips in the blood that now glowed a soft pale light. “With this spell spoken may he never speak my secrets without permission to any without knowledge of them.”
The light faded and Shadow could no longer feel the warm liquid on his lips. “What was that?!”
“A spell,” Sonic licked his thumb and the cut healed over as with nothing more than an old scar to prove it had ever existed, “I can’t just let anyone know my secrets and as much as I trust you at this point I don’t believe you wouldn’t tell G.U.N about this.” As if it was an afterthought, second to putting his glove back on, the prince spoke again. “If it makes you feel any better there's a similar spell on Tails, the only difference is that he can make the executive decision to tell one of my secrets if it’ll help.”
“Tell me then, your majesty, why should I help you.” Shadow's hand reached under his pillow as he swung his legs over the bed, gripping the gun there, preparing to figure out if regicide would break whatever spell had been cast.
“The latest G.U.N mission that Rouge complained about to Knuckles, which he told me about because he’s one of my knights, is about getting information on a dead zone in a forest that they suspect has something important to the actions of Dr. Robotnick or the Zeti.” Shadow froze, he knew Rouge had been going to angel island to talk with Knuckles but to allow an information leak this big- “I can tell you everything about it before they officially send you out, get enough evidence your handler won’t send you out, and provide any information I can get on the subject of your next three missions you’re assigned to for this one night of letting me keep you at my side for the majority of a royal ball.”
… that was a very tempting offer.
As good as G.U.N was at getting them the details of what they’d face during a mission there was always something wrong or missing. Though solo recon missions were calm and at times relaxing duo recon missions had a bad track record of being filled with Rouge poking him for things like his love life. A dead zone was an extra risk that meant he wouldn’t even be able to call for back up if there was danger or, more likely, to redirect the more inane questions away from himself.
“One night of standing at your side?”
“Yeah, you don’t even have to do more than politely acknowledge people's presence and answer a couple questions if asked.”
Shadow let go of the handle of his gun. “...Deal.”
—
Shadow regretted ever accepting this deal.
“Come on man, it really shouldn’t be this hard to remember the social ladder.”
“Says the one who grew in it.” Sonic had insisted they have their etiquette lessons behind a manor that was more opulent than most mansions he’d ever seen. Walls of dark brick, green and blue color the roof and curtains, accented by mahogany and silver metal. The courtyard alone was paved with hewn dark grey stone and lined with fields of carefully tended gardens. They were currently on the northside of the large central fountain and next to a large wisteria tree.
“I grew up in a rural village and then in the rebellion against the false emperor.” A nudge of the wooden stick Sonic was using to correct his walk reminded Shadow to keep his back straight. “Not much need to know that stuff until we were at the end and learning how to be proper royalty.”
“False emperor?” Sadow had reached the end of the line and momentarily shifted his attention to focus on not dropping the heavy tomes balancing precariously on his head.
“One of the Robotnicks I’ve had to fight, the worst of them.” Sonic tapped the arms just starting to rise in an attempt to keep balance. “He killed my father, the king, pretty soon after me and my siblings were born and took over the kingdom for a while, turned the sky black and grey with smog and used a kind of technology we’ve destroyed now to turn people who opposed him into subservient robots.”
“Oh, I didn’t-”
“I know, you were frozen for that.” Sonic took a breath and his ear twitched as if hearing something whisper near it. “List the titles of the nobility in order from highest rank to lowest.”
Shadow sighed, turning on his heel again to retrace the line. “At the top is the royal family, king and queen above their children, then come pairs of titles that share the same rank for different primary reasons: the margraves and arch-”
“There’s a rank above those and margraves aren’t on the same level of an archduke.” Another prod of the stick reminded Shadow that he needed to walk slower.
“Dukes and archdukes, the first controlling a subfaction of the government as siblings or relations to the current ruling family and the other having an excess of territories. Margraves and counts, political affiliation and militaristic affiliation respectively.” Another tap of the stick on his foot reminded him of the weight in his steps. “Barons and viscounts both govern land for the crown and the difference is that one does so because they are able to keep the lands through generational governance while the other may be appointed for their ability to protect a border.”
“Which does which?”
“Baron is a generational title, viscount is for protecting the border.” Sonic was walking alongside Shadow now, an arm bent and elbow offered, the darker hedgehog took it. “Thats where the pairs stop and the final two ranks are left. Lords are the lowest of the guaranteed landholders and typically only own a manor in the city or town they operate, knights are the last and own little to no land as they instead work for the other layers of the noble ranks.”
Sonic smiled when he ended the spiel. “Looks like you're pretty much good at that now, your noble walk’s good enough to pass for an earl now so we can move on to dancing.”
“I never agreed to dancing.”
“Neither did I and still every ball there’s someone I can’t refuse unless I want to make my family's job harder. As my plus one your actions reflect the company I keep and that reflects on my family.”
Shadow grumbled through it all.
—
Shadow was waiting for Sonic to pick him up at the manor house, it had become familiar during the week and the wisteria tree in particular a favorite place to rest. Lavender would forever stay his preference but the smell of wisteria was quickly rising to sit beside it on his list of good smells.
“There you are!” Sonic approached the tree from the direction of the fountain. He was dressed in a mostly white outfit that closed in the front with six buttons, the first three slanting down the left and the next three slanting to the right. A dark green cape hung off his shoulder in a short curtain that ended just at the bend of his knees and a pair of fancy black boots replaced the usual red and white shoes. On Sonic's head was a silver circlet that curled to hold in place three stones, two green ones the same shade as the cape flanking a blue one. “You were supposed to meet me at the doors an hour ago to make sure you were ready.”
“G.U.N called a meeting that I had to attend, I got out five minutes ago.”
“Right, then it looks like you’ll just have to run with what I put you in then.” Sonic pulled a small necklace from a pocket hidden in the cape and spoke again in that musical language while the droplet of clear quartz was encircled by his palms. When the words were finished the gem had changed from clear to a smoky grey that reminded Shadow of an oncoming storm. “Put this on and we can head out.”
While Shadow did the clasp Sonic’s body seemed to shiver until his light blue quills turned cobalt and his face changed in a way Shadow couldn’t explain but was uncanny after knowing what the prince looked like normally.
“How do I look?”
“Good, I made you a shade of olive green and your suit is a simpler version of mine; black base with a blue panel in the front, less silver, more space around the neck, and no cape.”
Good enough Shadow guessed, the shade was an appealing one when he looked at the fur just visible between his gloves and the sleeves of the jacket. “How far are we running?”
“We’re not.” Sonic offered his arm again and Shadow took it without thinking. “Unlike you, I’m completely unglamoured and can’t risk messing up this outfit.”
“Is this party nearby then?”
“Not at all.” Sonic led him inside the manor and Shadow realized that there were people walking the halls. “It’s too far to take a car or carriage so we’re taking the array.” They took one final turn into a large room lit by candles and a shining gem of some kind embedded in the ceiling. The ground was covered in swirling lines that almost looked like writing if you squinted.
Once they stood in the center, right below the gem and where there was no writing to speak of, something seemed to close in on them. It was an invisible kind of pressure that enveloped like a weighted blanket. That lilting language spilled from Sonic’s lips and parts of the script started to glow on the ground. The light rose to swirl around them and within moments the dark hedgehog felt them shift like he did when he used chaos control but in a more… controlled way? It was similar but more stable.
The room they reappeared in was sparsely decorated, a couch pressed against the wall and a couple of lamps were the only furniture in sight, a draped curtain in front of the door. “You remember your cover?”
“Francis Delabarre, recently appointed knight for my assistance in your highnesses most recent endeavors and most especially for my role in disrupting multiple supply lines used by the remnants of the Robotnick clan.” It was the only one he could stomach to accept from the backstories they had argued about during their dinner lessons. “Do I have to hang off your arm?”
Beginning to leave the room and losing his usual ‘chill’ First Prince Nicholas whispered his retort lowly enough Shadow had to focus to hear him. “Do you wanna get lost or find yourself alone in the middle of the vultures who will try to use you.”
No, Shadow did not. So they approached where the party would take place through bright cream colored halls decorated with furniture and paintings and vases that looked more expensive than the entirety of G.U.N’s resources.
“Your highness, Sir Delabarre, it’s good to see you both again.” Knuckles was ahead of them in a light grey suit with magenta and gold accents. Not something exactly expected of the warrior but it suited him, no pun intended.
“Count Khalid Barjas, always good to see a brother in arms.” Nicholas fell into the tedious greetings of other nobles after that, completing introductions and, as promised, keeping the more overzealous of the aptly nicknamed vultures away from Shadow.
It was truly strange how different he was now that he was surrounded by opulence instead of the open skies.
—
“Are you alright Sir Delabarre?” The Queen was dressed in white and gold in front of her children as they prepared to make their entrance. Shadow behind them so he could slip into the hall when everyone was focused on the royal family.
“I am well, your Majesty, simply in anticipation for the night to come.”
“Good, I am glad to know my son has friends like you, Shadow.”
The announcer began the entrance before Shadow could say any more and that was the last he would say to the royal family besides Nicholas for the rest of the night.
—
Names and faces blurred as the night turned dark. The drinks were surprisingly strong and though Shadow couldn’t get drunk exactly as the ultimate lifeform he still found himself getting tipsy. It was almost enjoyable now that people understood that he and Nicholas weren’t interested in meaningless fluff and moved on to talking about real topics. Viscount Westwoods was just engaging them in a discussion about a group from the neighboring territory that were caught trying to dig a tunnel to his coffers only to end up putting themselves in holding cells when a pink furred woman caught Shadow’s eye.
She was just shorter than he was and she was dressed in a cobalt blue dress with emerald green accents that eerily matched Nicholas’s fur and eyes. She was also clearly wearing a wig over a short bob of her quills. As he watched her move she seemed to be making her way to their small group in what was supposed to be a surreptitious manner… It couldn’t be. “Your highness, would you happen to know the woman headed our way?”
Turning to look, Nicholas's ears flicked back briefly. “To what do I owe this introduction Lady…?”
The woman startled and glanced around briefly before stuttering. “I- I’m Lady Margarita from the territory of- uhm- Westwood!” Viscount Westwood frowned as the woman pulled herself back together. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Margarita Westwood? Please tell me, how did I miss a member of a most illustrious family?”
“Your highness is so busy I’m sure it simply skipped by your notice.” She bowed to him, almost belatedly realizing she had ignored the etiquette of greeting a royal. “If I may, I do have a question I hope you can answer.”
“Cut the act Miss Rose,” so it was Amy. “I know you aren’t a relative of Viscount Westwood here, and my answer is still no.”
“But your highness!” She tried to caress Nicholas’s arm as she spoke. “I am the only one who could be worthy of your hand, I’m sure of it! Who else could know you were-” her hands flew to her face to clasp over her mouth despite the fact she was trying to keep talking
“You forget, Miss Rose, you are not welcome here.” The prince called over a pair of guards with a wave of his hand. “I do believe you know what is about to happen.”
Finally Amy’s hands came off of her mouth. “Eli please, you know you don’t have to do this!”
The guard, Eli apparently, hoisted Amy onto his shoulder and began to walk out. She started to screech something about her treatment but it was overtaken by a toast. Second Prince Manfred was standing with the Luxan girl he was interested in.
It happened suddenly that Shadow realized something. The girl was a pale blue cat with brown eyes and she was wearing a dress with ribbons in the color of prince Manfred's fur, prince Manfred was wearing a multitude of gems the same shade as the girl's fur. Amy had been trying to court Nicholas and arrived in a dress the same color as his fur. The Viscount and Viscountess Westwood were wearing accessories and outfits with the colors of each other's fur and eye colors somewhere on the fabric.
Nicholas matched the glamoured fur color and dressed Shadow in the same shade of cobalt as his own quills.
When the cheering subsided Shadow tugged at Nicholas until the man got the hint and led the pair of them out to an empty room with some excuse or another. Shadow could see the implications clearly now and knew that he wasn’t helping matters with the secretive escape while holding onto Nicholas’s arm.
A lilting melody fell from the prince's lips and light formed a script that swirled around the door until the din of the ball fell away. “No one will hear us now.” He deflated back into Sonic. “You ok Shads? I don’t think you had that much to drink-”
“Did you bring me as your date?!”
Sonic recoiled slightly, taking a single step back. “No. There are no ‘dates’ in the court, only companions, fiances, and those you intend to pursue.”
“So which am I then?” Shadow gestured to the blue panel on his front and the dark green on Sonic’s cape. “You’ve made me up to look like the other half of your romance!”
“...Married couples wear either colors that match their spouse’s outfit in color and design or fabrics and accessories that match fur or eye color.” Taking a step closer Sonic lifted the edge of his cape. “Fiancés wear gemstones matching their partner's fur color exclusively, and those who intend to pursue someone wear that person's eye color near their face or on their gloves.” Lifting Shadows wrist to reveal the olive green fur next to the dark green cape showed the vast difference in the shades. “You’re wearing a shade of blue called azure, distinctly not the cobalt of my quills, or any other shade the people out there are seeing.”
That- that was. Shadow was going to blame the alcohol for the pang in his chest at the confirmation. “And me hanging off your arm didn’t make anyone think anything?”
“To them you are a newly appointed knight being guided by the one who knighted you, if we swapped roles then I wouldn’t be considered your paramour, just like you aren’t considered mine.”
Shadow lost the fight in his veins and suddenly felt very heavy. He sank onto one of the plush couches in the middle of the space and felt more than saw Sonic follow him down. He dropped his head into his hands in an attempt to hide the flush he wasn’t entirely sure he could blame on the drinks. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” A hand landed on his shoulder and Shadow did nothing to dislodge it. “Do you want to leave?”
“Don’t you have to stay?”
“I mean, I have to go congratulate Manic on the engagement and say my goodbye’s to Mom and Nya but aside from that we’ve reached the point where people with enough status can start leaving.” The hand on Shadow’s shoulder squeezed minutely. “Theres a family breakfast tomorrow I have to stay here for but you don’t have to join me for it so I can take you to the array and you’ll be free to stay at the manor tonight or run back to team dark if you wanted.”
“...I have a few questions first.”
“I have a few answers.”
Shadow raised his head to look at the hero next to him, relaxed into the back of the couch as though there wasn’t a care in the world. “What do you mean by ‘any other shade the people out there are seeing’?”
Sonic smirked. “Starting with the easy ones. I have a spell cast on me that the nobles think is a curse, it’s not, it makes my colors change from one shade to another from minute to minute. It stays in the blue and purple range for my fur and orange or yellow for my eyes.”
“So no one thought Amy was trying to claim marriage with you? Why was she here anyway?”
“No and that is an answer I don’t have.” Sonic ran a hand down his face and groaned. “I saved her a couple times when we were younger, once as the heir apparent during the rebellion and another time as Sonic, then she figured out I was both and I had to use magic to silence her and she’s been at every ball or gala or debutante I’ve been to ever since.”
“Are you sure you painting your blood on her lips wasn’t also part of it?”
“I painted blood on her hands while they were covering her mouth so they’d shut her up, I never touched her lips directly.”
“Why don’t you use magic when you’re being the hero Sonic?”
“Too slow in the heat of a fight.” His ears flicked. “I’m good but not that good, I’m lucky enough to have my speed.”
“...I think I have more questions than I thought.”
“Makes sense,” Sonic stood and the Prince Nicholas persona was back in place, “we can arrange a time to actually talk later. Can you make it to Angel Island in two days?”
“Can you? Why Angel Island?”
“Private, Knuckles can answer any questions I can’t, there are spells carved into the place that will warn us if anyone does manage to get there, the usual reasons.” The magic on the door faded and once again they could faintly hear the music from the ballroom. “I suppose I will see you out, Sir Belabarre?”
“I would be honored to have your company, your highness.”
The array took them back to the manor. Nicolas didn’t stay longer than it took to tell Shadow he could keep the cloaking necklace before returning to the palace. The moonlight streamed through the windows and Shadow loved the way the gentle glow softened the world. He left the halls behind when he entered the courtyard once again. The place was almost ethereal as night blooming flowers opened to see the stars.
When he breathed in he smelled wisteria on the breeze. The tree stood tall in its corner, proud and concealing what lay behind its branches. In moments Shadow was sitting behind the purple flowering curtains and taking off the glamour to bask in the night's calm.
Despite how he ended up at that party and his little outburst at the end of it the ultimate lifeform thought fondly as he fell asleep in the branches of his new favorite plant that this was a good night.
Certainly it was a ball to remember at the very least.
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